The ninth edition of Bal Sangam, organised at the National School of Drama, will see participation from five North Eastern states, the maximum number of participants so far. Shrabasti Mallik learns about numerous folk forms of art from the region
The seven sisters may form the North Eastern part of India but their folk culture, art and tradition combined, can give a stiff competition to the rest of the country. At the ongoing ninth edition of the Bal Sangam Festival, being organised at the National School of Drama, four North East states are participating and bringing their culture to the fore.
Take for example, Manipur, which is also called the land of green farms. But it is more than just farming that the people take interest in. Children, especially are very keen on learning the nuances of their traditional folk arts, which are plenty. We spoke to louriyam Thaba Devi, president of the Performing organisation of Arts & Culture (POAC) and she said that children in the state show genuine interest in learning the arts. “Five to six years ago, we had cultural and folk programmes in Manipur. Now, the government does not make an effort to organise one. When kids perform on stage, they feel good and that generates more interest in them. We try our best to give them a platform,” she pointed out.
We learned about the folk dances that they would perform. There are three different dance forms with a sword and shield alone — Thang Chungoi Chainaba, Thang Ahum Chainaba and Thang leiteng Haiba. “We have also brought Maibi laiching jagio, Dhol dholak cholom and Pung cholom,” she said.
Two cultural clubs from Manipur are participating in this year’s festival, perhaps for the first time. The Huyen lallong Thang Ta Cultural Association has come with a host of dance forms quite different from POAC. It gave us an insight on how rich the place is in regard to their folklore, culture and tradition. One of the many dances that they have brought is the Khamba thoibi, which is performed after the first harvest of the year. “Even Manipur has a Naga tribe and we will be showcasing their dance, too,” said Mutum Iboncha Meitei, director and teacher of the organisation.
The lily Veng Cultural & Drama Club from Mizoram has brought eight dances, few of which are the Chheilam, Cheraw, Solakia, Tlanglam and Khullam. laltamt Thari, from the organisation told us an interesting story behind the origin of the Cheraw dance. “It is believed that the dance existed way back in the 1st century AD, while the Mizos were still somewhere in the Yamuna province of China. Then they migrated to the Chin Hills in the 13th century AD, and eventually to present Mizoram,” she said.
In the Chheilam dance, people squat around in a circle on the floor, sing to the beat of a drum or bamboo tube while a pair of dancers stand in the middle, recite the song and dance along with the music. “It is a dance performed over a round of rice beer in the evening,” she added.
Folk dance and folk art are part of the academic curriculum in the state and Thari told us that the children are made familiar with the art forms at a very young age. “They develop a liking towards these and learn it with diligence. We want the people of India to know about these art forms,” she said.
Arunachal Pradesh’s dance form, Ajalamu derives its history from an old story about a king and his two queens. “legend has it that king Geser Gepu had two wives, who were sisters and are also considered as goddesses. Once the elder queen was abducted by a demon and the king fought and brought back his wife. Some time later, she gave birth to a child who was half king and half demon. The dance narrates this story,” said Rinchi Droma, director of Monpa Cultural Association. She rued the fact that the state government does very little to uphold the folk tradition. “I have been trying in my own little way to propagate and promote the culture since 1994,” she said.
Assam, too, features in the list. The Tiwa Bhakha-Sanskriti Charcha Samitee has brought the Tiwa dance from under which there are dance forms like lalkhown miswa (a lathi dance), Khanghi mihwa (thali dance), Kharla Pisu (performed only by young girls) and Nakha Changa Mihwa (which is performed during rainy days). Rohin Banhthai, secretary of the group said, “These are all inter-related, have simple steps and have rhythmic beats.”